Facing The Past
by Mrs Sheppard18
Summary: When someone from Steve's past comes back into his life needing help, he must put aside their past in order to focus on solving a case.
1. Chapter 1

Facing The Past

_Summary:__ When someone from Steve's past comes back into his life needing help, he must put aside their past in order to focus on solving a case._

_Set in late season two before the season finale._

_A/N: This story is currently a WIP though I am a fair way into it at this point. I really wanted to get the first chapter posted before the season three première aired as this has to be set in S2 for most of it to fit in with the show's storyline._

_Disclaimer:__ I don't own anything belonging to the Hawaii Five-0 franchise._

oOo

The silver Camaro glistened in the afternoon sunshine as it pulled up in the parking space by the Five-0 taskforce's headquarters and its two occupants exited the vehicle. The two men continued the animated discussion they had been having in the car as they entered the building heading in the direction of their office.

Danny Williams seemed to be in a state of disbelief as he continued. "Let me get this straight; you're asking your injured partner - who you almost got killed today because you are too impatient to wait two minutes for Chin and Kono to arrive before storming a building - to do your paperwork for you? Should I have asked the doctors to give you a CAT scan while we were in the ER?"

Steve McGarrett chose to ignore his partner's comment about needing a CAT scan. "Well it's the least you could do. After all, I was the one who just saved your life."

"Saved my life?" Danny threw his arms wide. "The only reason it needed saving was because we were raiding a dangerous suspects' house without back up! If we'd waited like I told you McGuire wouldn't have been able to get the drop on me, almost break my wrist and hold a gun to my head, and not just any gun, but _my own_ damn gun!"

"It's just a sprain," Steve countered, "and it still doesn't change the fact that I saved your life. Filling out the paperwork is the least you could do."

Danny shook his head, not prepared to give in and add to his own workload that accompanied the closing of a case. "I swear at least once a month you're trying to palm off your paperwork onto someone else. Sometimes I wonder if you even know how to fill out a report."

"You're right, Danny, because as an officer with Naval Intelligence I never had to fill out any paperwork," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Well, you could've had me fooled. There is no way I owe you a penny let alone a whole case worth of paperwork after the events of today."

"I saved your life," Steve frowned and gave Danny an incredulous look as they pushed through the glass doors and into the main office space of Five-0 Headquarters, making a beeline for Steve's office.

"I repeat; it wouldn't have needed saving if you had just waited for back up like I told you to!" Danny countered with an equally incredulous look.

"I drove you back from the hospital," Steve contested.

"Well it's not like I had a choice in the matter anyway seeing as how you're always driving my car even when I'm not suffering some sort of debilitating injury," Danny displayed the pristine bandage on his wrist for good measure as he followed his partner towards his office, "which, I might add, you were the cause of! I'm just lucky I didn't end up shot again like our first jaunt together when you refused to wait for back up."

The pair had been too focused on their conversation to notice the aging man seated on the couch located in Steve's office. As Steve pushed the door open and crossed the threshold into his office the old man raised himself from his seated position, catching them off-guard and caused them to stop suddenly in the doorway.

Steve frowned as he took in the appearance of the stranger before them and noticing the man's obvious old age decided it best to keep the hostile tone from his voice as he asked, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The man gripped his hands nervously in front of him and tried to smile slightly as he kept his gaze oddly focused on Steve's face. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, one of your co-workers let me in before she had to step out," he explained and both Steve and Danny could sense the awkwardness that seemed to hang in the air.

"What can we do for you?" Steve asked softly with a nod, the man didn't seem to be able to relax and Steve kept himself wary of what might follow.

At his words, the man broke his gaze and looked at his hands which he continued to grasp in front of him. "You don't recognise me then." It was a statement, not a question but the man raised his eyes once more to Steve's face as though waiting for a reaction.

Steve frowned in surprise at the man's statement, yet even as he answered there was something familiar about the face before him that was nagging at him. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"I shouldn't be surprised," the man tried to smile again but instead he merely appeared sad. "After all, twenty years is a long time."

Danny frowned at the exchange going on before him, not understanding it in the least. He glanced over at his partner to see if any of this was making any sense to him.

Steve's frown had deepened at the response he'd received and he found himself looking closer at the man's features; his slight stoop from age though there was no sign of a walking cane to be seen, thin, white hair that did nothing to cover the top of the man's tanned head and his eyes, those eyes. Steve continued to gaze at the man before him, those deep blue eyes so familiar to him. The air seemed to rush around him as the old man's words echoed in his head, _'twenty years is a long time'_. Then it clicked. The wrinkled face held more lines than the last time he had seen him, his hair was now thinner and whiter and he no longer stood tall, instead he was stooped in old age but there was no mistaking his mouth, his jaw and his eyes.

Danny watched as his partner's frown disappeared slightly and his eyebrows rose, a look of recognition covering his face as he stared at the old man. "Steve," he got his partner's attention, though the former SEAL kept his stare focused on the man in front of him. "You know this man?"

Steve allowed his eyes to flick briefly to his partner as he nodded once before his focus went back to the man and the emotion seemed to fade from his face as he put his emotional barriers in place, a point Danny didn't fail to notice.

Steve looked at the man a moment longer before he spoke, keeping his voice even. "Jacob Hayes."

The old man almost flinched as Steve said his name and his sad smile made another appearance as he replied softly, "So you do recognise me."

Danny had a hard time reading his partner's face but it seemed to resemble the look Steve had worn for days after he had found out his mother had been murdered; anguish, anger, repression all rolled into one hard exterior in an attempt to hide it. "Steve, who is this man?"

Steve remained focused on Jacob Hayes as he answered Danny's question. "He's my Grandfather."

TBC

oOo

_A/N: Well, what did you think of the first chapter? I'd love to hear from you! :) Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks for the response so far guys! I hope you enjoy this second chapter :)_

oOo

"He's my Grandfather."

Steve's words seemed to echo around Danny's head as he continued to stare at his partner with his mouth slightly open. The old man, Jacob Hayes, he reminded himself, didn't make any attempt to deny Steve's claim, further adding to his confusion.

"Your, your Grandfather?" Danny repeated, his eyebrows high in shock as he regarded his partner. "What are you talking about, your Grandfather? I thought your Grandfather was killed at Pearl Harbour?"

Steve turned to Danny as he replied, "Yes, my father's father, Steven McGarrett, was killed on the _Arizona_. Jacob Hayes," Steve turned back to his estranged Grandfather, "was my mother's father."

Jacob lowered his eyes back to his hands under Steve's hard stare.

Danny nodded and closed his mouth upon realisation that he was still gaping slightly after the news. "Oh, well, ah, I'll give you two a few minutes then." Danny backed out of Steve's office; the look Steve was wearing was enough for him to know that now wasn't the time for him to be around.

Steve watched his partner leave the office and as the door shut he looked back to Jacob; he sure as hell wasn't comfortable calling him his Grandfather, not just at the moment anyway. Neither of them said anything for a moment as they continued to look at each other; after twenty years of no contact the words didn't come easy. Deciding to treat him as though he was any other elderly man, Steve spoke. "Why don't you sit back down and tell me why you're here." He gestured to the couch as he moved to perch himself against the edge of his desk.

Jacob did as he was asked, sighing as he looked back up at Steve. "I know this can't be easy for you, Steve. I had the taxi drive past this place twenty times before I had the courage to pull into the parking lot."

Steve didn't answer as he continued to watch him, chewing the inside of his cheek slightly.

Jacob spoke again in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere that still lingered between them, "So how are you? And Mary Ann, how is she doing?"

Steve shook his head and laughed slightly in disbelief. "We haven't heard a word from you in twenty years and you want to act like nothing happened? Maybe you can forget walking out on our family but I sure as hell can't."

Jacob winced slightly under Steve's harsh tone. "You have every right to hate me, Steve, both you and Mary Ann do but I couldn't stay, not after what happened."

"You were upset, I understand that," Steve's voice took a softer tone, "but we were a family and you should have been there for us, just like we wanted to be there for you."

There was a pause before Jacob spoke again, "I heard about your father, Steve and I'm sorry," he gave Steve a look full of sincerity. "Really, I am. I never hated John, I just could never forgive him, not after Doris was killed."

Steve glanced out the window in his office briefly, finding that he couldn't bear to meet his Grandfather's pleading gaze any longer. He took a deep breath before turning back to him and asked, "So is that why you're here then? To drag up the past?"

"No," he looked back down at his hands and breathed deeply, attempting to summon the courage for what he had to say before looking back to Steve. "I, I need your help."

"You need my help?" Steve repeated as he raised his eyebrows. "Funny how that works isn't it?"

Jacob seemed to shrink under Steve's words and he slowly raised himself from the couch. Turning towards the door he stated, "Never mind, I should never have come here." He shuffled slowly towards the exit and reached for the door handle.

Despite the residual anger he felt towards the man, Steve couldn't stand the sadness and regret evident in Jacob's eyes. "Wait," he called before he could open the door. Jacob turned back to Steve appearing almost hopeful. "What is it you need my help with?"

Jacob smiled slightly in thanks and moved back towards the couch, though he didn't retake his seat. "Every fortnight the local primary school has a day for the elderly people in the community; it's just a lunch but some of the kids volunteer to sit with us to play games or read with us. Most of us don't have partners anymore so we go for the company.

"I've been going for almost a year now, every second Tuesday and there's a little girl, Emily," he smiled fondly as he spoke of her, "she's eleven and no matter what, she is always there and she always sits with me the whole afternoon when she could be with her friends."

Steve nodded as he took in what Jacob was saying, though he wasn't sure where he was going with this. "So what's the problem? Why do you need my help?"

The smile Jacob wore disappeared and was replaced by a slight frown. "Four months ago now her mother was killed in a car accident," he seemed to wince slightly and shot Steve a quick look before looking back down at his hands and continuing. "Ever since then she has been living with her step-father and she just hasn't been herself lately."

"What do you mean by that?" Steve frowned slightly.

Jacob raised his eyes to Steve's again and continued. "Well, she's usually very animated and talkative but lately she's really drawn into herself, her appearance is messy and untidy; her clothes never look clean, she looks like she has lost some weight and her attendance at school has dropped. I tried to get her to talk about what goes on at home but she doesn't want to talk about it. I know it's not really that uncommon under these circumstances but something just seems wrong; she had a social worker assigned to her a few weeks after the accident but I haven't noticed a change in her."

Steve frowned and rubbed his hand over his mouth as he considered Jacob's words, "And you think she's being mistreated at home by her step-father?"

Jacob furrowed his brow for a moment before answering, "I don't know much about him, but I don't think he would be doing something to intentionally hurt her. But I don't think he is giving her the care she needs."

Steve nodded but the frown didn't leave his face, "Well if that's the case then there's nothing we can do; it's up to the social worker to determine whether it's in her best interest to stay with her step-father."

"Yes, I know. I managed to contact her social worker to find out if he was taking any action on the matter but he said he couldn't discuss it with me because I'm not family," Jacob replied with something akin to desperation in his voice and eyes. "I thought about taking the matter to the Police Department but I don't have any evidence, just a hunch. That's when I thought of you," he finished quietly keeping his gaze locked onto Steve's.

Steve considered the man before him as he rubbed his hand over his mouth in thought. He took in the way Jacob's eyes plead for him to believe him, the genuine concern written openly on his lined face and he couldn't help the brief flicker of hurt, even jealousy, that tightened his stomach as he saw how deeply Jacob cared for the little girl; it was an immature thought, he knew, but it was there none the less. _How had they been any different?_ He quickly shoved that train of thought aside though to focus on what was important; a little girl could be in trouble.

Steve didn't say anything to Jacob as he stood and pushed open the door, leaning out he called to Danny who had remained by the smart table. "Hey, D, we may have something." Steve looked back to Jacob and opened the door wider, moving out of the way so Jacob could exit the office.

"Thank you," Jacob smiled sincerely at Steve as he passed him into the main office space of their headquarters.

Danny moved away from the computer to meet them halfway. He had been watching the two through the glass walls of the office the entire time and he wished he could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. Despite Steve's insistence that he didn't have a 'face', Danny could always read his partner far more easily than others could and his reaction to finding his grandfather in his office had Danny wondering what had happened between them to instil such a reaction. Not to mention the fact that they hadn't seen each other in twenty years and Steve's failure to mention any other relatives to him or the rest of the team. For now, however, he pushed his questions away for later as he reached them.

"This is my partner, Detective Danny Williams," Steve introduced them, "Danny this, as you already heard, is Jacob Hayes."

Danny noticed that Steve had avoided calling him his grandfather as he reached out to shake the elderly man's hand. "Good to meet you," Danny smiled as they shook hands. "So what's this case you were talking about?" Danny looked back to Steve for answers.

"It's not much," Steve admitted to the serious lack of evidence, "but we're going to check it out anyway; a girl from a school near Jacob's house doesn't look like she's been getting the right kind of care since her mother was killed a few months ago. We're going to have a chat with her step-father and find out what's going on."

Danny frowned slightly at his partner's explanation; while the case certainly struck home with him, as any case involving a little girl often did, he failed at seeing any sort of crime that would warrant Five-0's involvement. "Is there a reason we're not just leaving this for child services?"

"She's already had a social worker assigned to her but there haven't been any improvements," Steve explained with a glance to Jacob who gave a nod of confirmation. "We're doing this as a favour."

Danny nodded, finding no problem in helping a young girl. "Okay, and what do we know about her step-father?" He shared his gaze between Steve and Jacob as he asked.

Jacob frowned slightly as he replied, "I don't know a great deal about him; she doesn't talk about him much. I know his name is Shaun Marsden, I don't think they were married long before her mother was killed."

"Okay, we need an address for her house," Steve turned to Jacob.

Jacob nodded and reached into his pocket pulling out a folded sheet of paper which he handed to Steve. "I copied this off one of her school books." Steve opened the note to see the address as Jacob finished, "It's for a place in Manoa."

Steve nodded as he read the address then looked back at Danny. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go. You've got my keys," Danny added as he made his way to the doors.

Steve turned back to Jacob before following his partner out. "Wait in my office until we get back," he instructed briefly before exiting after Danny.

TBC

oOo


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Wow, it has been a long, long time since I lasted posted for this story to say the least, so to anyone who's made it this far into opening the new chapter, thank you so much for keeping with it! RL unfortunately got hectic and I couldn't update._

_And because it's been so long since this started and considering how much has happened in season 3, just a reminder that this is set before the season 2 finale :)_

_Okay, no more chit chat, I'll let you get onto the next chapter..._

oOo

"Do you want to talk about this?" Danny looked across to where Steve was seated behind the wheel. The two hadn't spoken a word since they'd been in the car and it seemed that the awkwardness from Steve's office had followed them to the Camaro.

Steve glanced away from the road for a moment to spare his partner a frown, "Talk about what?" He conveniently focused back on the road as Danny glared at him from the passenger seat.

"What do you mean 'about what'? Your long lost Grandfather just suddenly appears in your office asking for help and you're gonna act as though nothing's up? I mean you've never even mentioned him before, I just assumed you didn't have another grandfather."

"Well for all intents and purposes I didn't," Steve explained, "he walked out of our lives the day of my mother's funeral and neither Mary nor I ever heard from him since."

"Until now," Danny unnecessarily reminded him.

"Until now," Steve nodded, "now that he needs my help."

Danny could hear that this was all Steve was prepared to discuss about the topic for the time-being and seeing as they were almost at their destination he let the subject drop for now. "So do you know what you're going to say to this guy?"

Steve let out a deep breath before replying, "Not really, we'll know more when we see the place and hear what they both have to say about what's going on."

Steve's cell phone took this moment to ring loudly in the car and Steve quickly answered it with the car's Bluetooth.

"McGarrett."

"_Hey, Boss, it's Kono. Have you had a chance to speak to the old man who came into your office?"_ The rookie's voice sounded loudly through the car's interior.

"Yes, I did," Steve confirmed. "Danny and I are just heading out to Manoa to speak to someone."

"_Anything dangerous?" _She sounded slightly concerned.

Danny answered this time. "For once, no," he explained, figuring Kono would be more likely to take his word that what they were doing wasn't dangerous over the word of their boss.

Before Kono had a chance to reply, Steve asked, "Kono, can you do me a favour and run a background on a man called Shaun Marsden? He lives in Manoa," he added to make her search easier.

"_Yeah, sure thing, Boss."_

"Thank you, we'll see you back at headquarters," Steve said by way of parting and hung up as they turned into the street address that Jacob had given them.

Looking out the window at the houses that occupied the street, both men could see that the neighbourhood was not the richest of places and Shaun Marsden's house proved to be no exception. Steve pulled the Camaro to a stop outside a dirty one storey house towards the end of the street. The front lawn was completely over-grown and almost hid the narrow path leading to the front door and sections of the roof looked like they were in serious need of some maintenance and they had Danny feeling thankful for some of the accommodation he had lived in over the past year.

After navigating their way up the over-grown path, Steve knocked on the door, half expecting it to fall off its hinges as he eyed off the peeling and cracked paint job it displayed. When there was no answer, Steve knocked again.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Shaun Marsden must have decided that whoever it was wasn't going to go away as his footsteps echoed behind the door before it was pulled open completely.

Shaun Marsden eyed off the two men at his doorstep, his eyes instantly travelling to the gun and badge strapped to each man's hip and he involuntarily swallowed.

Steve and Danny eyed off the man in turn, taking in his unshaven face and unkempt hair which made him look older than he really was. His dirty tradesman clothing informed them that at least he had some form of job and income.

"Shaun Marsden?" Steve both asked and stated.

"Yeah," he frowned, clearly not understanding the intrusion. "What d'you want?"

"I'm Steve McGarrett, this is Danny Williams, Five-0," he gestured to both Danny and the badge on his hip as he spoke. "We just want to have a word with you about your step-daughter, Emily."

"What for?" The frown seemed to grow at Steve's explanation and he took on a defensive tone.

Danny took a step forward to stand beside his partner as he replied, "We just want to do a quick check up following her social worker's report," he stated with the hint of a smile, twisting the truth somewhat to get them inside. "Can we come in?"

Marsden seemed to drop his defence at Danny's explanation. "Oh," he stated as he moved out of the doorway, "yeah, sure," he looked around as the two members of Five-0 crossed the threshold, "It's a bit of a mess," he mumbled as they moved further inside and he shut the door.

'A bit of a mess' seemed like an understatement to Steve and Danny as they tried not to stare at the clothes and other items littering the wooden floorboards of the sitting room they were standing in.

"Is Emily home?" Steve asked as he glanced around.

"No, she's at school," Marsden rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke.

"At four in the afternoon?" Danny frowned.

"She usually goes to a friend's place in the afternoon," he explained.

"And where does her friend live?" Steve asked, noting that so far Marsden hadn't seemed very concerned about the whereabouts of his charge.

Marsden shrugged, "I dunno, somewhere around Manoa I guess, I mean they go to the same school and all. The other kid's parents usually drive her home."

So far he wasn't making a stellar start in the partners' eyes. Steve nodded and glanced quickly at Danny as the detective caught his eye and they silently agreed on a plan of action.

"Do you mind if I check out Emily's room?" Danny asked as he and Steve turned their attention back to Marsden.

"Uh, yeah I guess," Marsden nodded, not seeing a reason to be opposed the officer's request. "It's just down that hallway," he pointed behind Steve and Danny.

"Thanks," Danny smiled and tipped his head before moving off in the direction Marsden had indicated.

Steve watched his partner leave before turning back to Marsden. "So what is it exactly that you do?" He gestured casually to Marsden's attire.

"I work as a handyman, electronics mostly," he seemed to relax more as he spoke. "Though in this economy I'm more of a jack-of-all-trades, you know," he added, to which Steve nodded. "But I just got a great gig over at Aina Haina re-wiring a house for a rich couple, it should give me a couple more days work and they've even recommended me to some people they know," he nodded as he explained.

"And how are you taking all this? I mean, having a kid suddenly to look after, it can't be easy."

"Well it hasn't been easy since Debbie," he paused as he looked at Steve, "well, you know. It's just getting used to doing stuff like house-work," he gestured to the mess surrounding them, "and cooking for the both of us. Emily spends a lot of time with friends so that helps, but I think we'll get there eventually."

Steve nodded, not able to find any major fault - at least not intentional - in the man's efforts and he found himself doubting his grandfather's claim that she wasn't receiving the right care from her step-father. After all, change was hard but like Marsden said, they would get there eventually, at least he seemed to be making an effort to support her.

Danny re-emerged into the living room after having discovered nothing out of the ordinary in the bedroom for a young girl, if going by what Grace's room looked like was any indication to go on.

Steve turned around as Danny entered the room behind him and Danny gave a curt nod to inform his partner that everything seemed to be normal when it came to Emily's living arrangements, though both would have preferred to speak to Emily herself. Steve returned his nod then turned to Marsden again.

"Thank you for your time, Mr Marsden," Steve offered his hand to the man in parting as he gave a small smile. "It's good to see that you're working on making this difficult situation work."

Shaun Marsden nodded as he shook McGarrett's hand and the two men made their way back to the door. With a final look at Marsden and the house, Steve and Danny exited and made their way back to the Camaro.

oOo

"Hey, Boss," Kono caught their attention as they pushed through the glass doors of headquarters to join her in the bullpen. "I got that background on Marsden that you wanted. I don't suppose this has anything to do with the old man in your office, does it?"

Steve and Danny followed her hand gesture to where Jacob had retaken his seat on the couch in Steve's office.

"Yeah, it does," Steve didn't elaborate as he finished approaching the smart table to view Kono's findings. "What did you find?" Even as he asked, his and Danny's eyes scanned over the screen.

Kono shrugged off her boss's failure to explain what was going on, figuring she would get the rundown when Steve was fully up to speed himself. "Shaun Marsden; he's in the system for a couple of drink driving charges, but nothing in the past three years, he spent two months in Waiawa Correctional Facility in early '09 and hasn't been charged since. Now he works as a handyman through a company called 'Hawaiian Fix-It' mostly specialising in electronics; I called his employers, they said he's always been a hard worker and they've never had a complaint about him from any of their clients. He's currently renting a house in Manoa and has custody of his step-daughter Emily after his wife and her mother, Deborah Finlay, was killed in a car accident late last year."

Steve nodded slightly as he took in the information, some of which they already knew.

"So what's your interest in Marsden?" Kono had grown impatient for them to explain the situation.

"It's nothing," Steve looked to her and gave her a tight smile. "I'm just checking in to him as a favour," he finished as he glanced at the screen one last time before making his way to his office. As he placed his hand on the door handle he looked back and called to Danny and Kono. "You two should head home, start your weekend; I'm only going to be another five minutes."

Kono and Danny briefly exchanged looks then nodded to Steve as they moved away from the smart table and towards the doors. Steve watched them leave then took a deep breath and pushed open the door to his office.

Jacob stood up as Steve entered, turning to him with an expectant gaze. "Did you speak to Emily and to her step-father? What did they say? Did –"

Steve raised his hands in front of him to stop his grandfather's flow of questions before it got out of hand. "We spoke to her step-father Shaun, Emily wasn't home and as far as Emily's living arrangements go, we didn't find anything to be concerned about."

Jacob didn't look convinced so Steve kept talking to prevent him from interrupting.

"Look, I know what you said earlier but that's not that uncommon when this sort of thing happens; it's going to take some time for the two of them to get used to these new circumstances, and that's not going to happen overnight." Steve spoke from personal experience, a point Jacob didn't fail to miss. "From what we saw, her step-father is doing his best to make it work."

"I know this can't be easy for either of them, it's why I waited before I came to someone about it," Jacob stated. "But I still feel as though something is not right," he added imploringly.

Steve glanced away for a moment and breathed out heavily in frustration before looking back to Jacob. "I can't just open a case and use our resources based on your bad feeling. We ran a background check on him to be sure but nothing came up. That's all we can do."

Jacob gave a resigned nod. "I appreciate everything you have done then."

Steve nodded but didn't say anything as Jacob paused, as though not sure if he should say anything else. Steve felt the awkwardness between them increase tenfold in the silence.

Jacob opened his mouth to say something but he seemed to change his mind and instead he said softly, "Thank you, Steve." With that he turned and exited the office and made his way out to the doors.

Steve let out a deep breath as he watched the old man exit headquarters. What had his Grandfather been expecting? For him to run and give him a hug and invite him home just like nothing had happened? To suddenly welcome him back into his life after he had willingly walked out of it _and_ Mary's? He shook his head slightly, squashing down any small trace of guilt he harboured after his Grandfather's subdued exit; he shouldn't be feeling guilty, his Grandfather was the one at fault and one brief meeting after twenty years wasn't enough to change anything in Steve's mind.

Steve rubbed his hand over his jaw before he gathered his own set of keys from his desk and left the office, walking more slowly than usual to ensure he wouldn't have another awkward meeting with his Grandfather on the way out.

oOo

"_I thought I told you not to call me anymore than you needed to."_

Shaun Marsden seemed more nervous as the harsh voice echoed down the phone line. "Yes I know, but I needed to speak to you," he looked nervously over his shoulder, his eyes searching for anyone outside the phone booth that might be watching him in the dark of the night.

"_I've already told you; everything's been organised, you don't have to worry about anything."_ The reply was laced with frustration.

"A couple of cops came to my place today!" Marsden hissed into the speaker, his tone not hiding his desperation.

There was a slight pause on the other end. _"Why? What did you tell them?"_

"Nothing! They came asking about Emily but I didn't tell them anything."

"_Did they suspect anything?"_

Marsden automatically shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure they bought what I said and Emily wasn't there anyway."

"_Good, we don't have anything to worry about then, everything can go ahead as planned. Just don't do anything that will get the cops attention until this is over."_

"Won't they realise something's up in two weeks time?" Marsden glanced around again, afraid of any eaves-droppers.

"_Not if they bought your story like you said they did, just make sure everything's ready in two weeks time."_

Marsden didn't have the chance to reply as the line went dead and he hung up the phone and exited the phone booth before disappearing into the night.

TBC

oOo


End file.
